Eric Maurice Smith Jr. (born September 2, 1995) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Early life

Smith attended

Columbia High School Columbia High School may refer to: *Columbia High School (Huntsville, Alabama) *Columbia High School (Georgia) *Columbia High School (Florida) *Columbia High School (Idaho) *Columbia High School (Illinois) *Columbia High School (Mississippi), a Mis ...

Decatur, Georgia Decatur () is a city and the county seat of DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, th ...

, where he was a three-star prospect. He committed to attend the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

in 2012.

College career

Smith started in 32 games at the right tackle position for Virginia. He graduated with a B.A. degree in May 2017.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Smith signed with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2017. After an impressive preseason, Smith made Miami's 53-man roster as a backup right tackle. He was placed on injured reserve on October 3, 2017. He was activated off injured reserve to the active roster on December 20, 2017. On September 1, 2018, Smith was waived by the Dolphins.

New England Patriots

On September 3, 2018, Smith was signed to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

' practice squad.

New York Jets (first stint)

On December 18, 2018, Smith was signed by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

off the Patriots practice squad. He was waived on August 31, 2019.

New York Giants (first stint)

On September 1, 2019, Smith was claimed off waivers by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. On September 5, 2020, Smith was waived by the Giants.

Dallas Cowboys

On September 9, 2020, Smith was signed to the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on September 19 and September 26 for the team's weeks 2 and 3 games against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

and

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 4, 2021. On August 31, 2021, Smith was waived by the Cowboys.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 7, 2021, Smith was signed to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cardinals on January 19, 2022. He was waived on August 4, 2022.

New York Giants (second stint)

On August 7, 2022, the Giants signed Smith. He was waived on August 29.

New York Jets (second stint)

On September 6, 2022, Smith signed with the practice squad of the Jets. He was released on October 18.

Tennessee Titans

On October 24, 2022, Smith was signed to the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

practice squad. He was released on November 15. He was re-signed to the practice squad six days later. On December 6, the Titans released Smith.

New York Jets (third stint)

On December 14, 2022, Smith was signed to the Jets' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on January 7, 2023. He was released on May 30, 2023.

Calgary Stampeders

On April 12, 2024, Smith signed with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He started five games at left tackle in 2024 and spent the rest of the season on the practice roster. On March 10, 2025, Smith announced his retirement from the CFL.

References

External links

Virginia Cavaliers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Eric 1995 births Living people Players of American football from Decatur, Georgia Virginia Cavaliers football players Miami Dolphins players New England Patriots players New York Giants players New York Jets players Dallas Cowboys players Arizona Cardinals players Tennessee Titans players Calgary Stampeders players American football offensive linemen Canadian football offensive linemen Players of Canadian football from Georgia (U.S. state)